House of Time
"Musically suave..volatile and beguiling"
- San Francisco Classical Voice
About HoT
Where does HoT get its name?
You may wonder about where we got the name, House of Time. A few years ago, before House of Time was formed, a few of us were brain-storming names. We liked the words, Chronos and Cronologie, both incorporating the meaning of Time. We then came up with Cronologgia, a sort of play on the two words, and we figured out that although it was a ficticious word, it was really a combination of two words: Cronos and Loggia. Loggia, in Italian, is an open sided extention to a house, or lets just say House. Put the two words together and you have Cronologgia, or House of Time. Cronologgia stuck for the very first concert we played in a beautiful 18th century barn in Westchester. Soon after we had so many people asking what the word meant, we decided to use its English translation, House of Time. From then on, we became known as House of Time.
Most people experience time as a stream, an ever-changing present fading into an ever-receding past. We prefer to think of it as an enormous house with countless rooms, each preserving a slice of history as it was. If we have the right key we can visit these rooms, unlock bits of time and interact with them. The House of Time is where history waits for us to come alive. House of Time is an exciting ensemble dedicated to music of the 17th through the 20th century played on period instruments. Members include faculty and graduates of the Juilliard School as well as prize-winners of major international competitions.
Over the past two seasons, HoT has performed both well-known and underperformed repertoire from the 17th and 18th centuries. They have incorporated their own arrangements, including Bach’s organ trio in E flat major, which Gonzalo X. Ruiz transcribed, based on an in depth understanding of 17th and 18th century repertoire. This past season, they expanded into the late 18th and early 19th century, performing less well-known composers including works by Anton Reicha and Franz Krommer while keeping a strict focus on using the instruments and techniques of the period. In addition, HoT has incorporated theatrical elements into their performances including readings of 18th century memoirs.
House of Time has been presented by the Czech Center in New York City in a concert of 17th century gems from the Kromeriz archive. They have also given headline performances at the Berkeley Early Music Festival and Early Music Festival:NYC, and just finished their second season of concerts in Manhattan.